I was there for one week and stayed in Bocagrande, about a 10 minute taxi ride from the Walled City. Pros of Cartagena: Inexpensive locale, reliable and fast internet, good weather (if you like it hot), not terribly crowded (aside from Walled City), beauty/history/nightlife of Walled City. Cons: Local beaches are average at best and riddled with vendors who accost visitors non-stop, street vendors are less pushy but everywhere, fluency in Spanish is very helpful (not really a con, just is), Walled City is loaded with tourists and priced accordingly. Cartagena struck me as a one-trick pony like a Las Vegas. Some people love Vegas because of the weather and the entertainment. Cartagena has the weather and the Walled City. Unfortunately even though its a coastal city, it's tough to enjoy the beach.